Spanning from 1896 to 2007, the archives trace the evolution of the Cathedral and the many institutions and landscapes around it. Included are drawings for Saint Albans School for Boys, the National Cathedral School for Girls, Beauvoir Elementary School, the Cathedral College, the Cathedral Library, the Deanery, and Olmsted Woods.

The collection offers an intimate look at the building process. Sketches on trace paper are found alongside correspondence between architects, contractors, and master craftsmen. Renderings demonstrate how design ideas evolved over time, while detailed construction drawings capture the precision behind woodwork, ironwork, stone carving, and stained glass.

Among the many voices represented in the archives are some of the most influential architects and landscape architects of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Ernest Flagg, Bodley & Vaughn, Frohman Robb & Little, and Trevillian Architects each contributed to different phases of the Cathedral’s long construction timeline. Philip Hubert Frohman, the Cathedral’s principal architect for much of the twentieth century, played a particularly significant role in shaping its Gothic Revival identity. The surrounding landscape, designed in part by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., reflects the same thoughtful integration of architecture and environment that defined the project as a whole.

Complementing the Cathedral materials is the Philip Hubert Frohman Architectural Drawings Collection. This related collection encompasses Frohman’s work on projects across the country, providing broader context for his influence beyond D.C.

While the Washington National Cathedral Collection is still in the process of being fully cataloged and preserved, select drawings are already available for viewing and research through the Museum’s Online Collections Database. As processing continues, additional materials will be added, revealing even more stories embedded in these historic documents.

The Washington National Cathedral Construction Archives stand as a testament to the enduring power of architectural collaboration and craftsmanship. As new materials become accessible, the collection will continue to deepen our understanding of one of the nation’s most significant architectural achievements and the many hands that shaped it.

To conduct research using the Washington National Cathedral Construction Archives Collection, please fill out a Research Request Form. You can learn more about other collections held at the Museum by searching the online database here!

Both Exhibitions Open February 28, Exploring Partnership, Education and the Built Legacy of Black America  

WASHINGTON, DC – The National Building Museum announces two major exhibitions that, for the first time, will be presented in conversation with one another, illuminating how architecture, education, and collaboration shaped Black American life and the nation’s shared history.  

Opening February 28, A Better Life for Their Children: Julius Rosenwald, Booker. T Washington and the 4,978 Schools that Changed America, photographs and stories by Andrew Feiler, and The Tuskegee Chapel: Paul Rudolph x Fry & Welch, curated by architect Helen Brown Bechtel, together reveal the built environment as a powerful force for dignity, aspiration, and community transformation.  

“These exhibitions tell distinct stories, but they share a common truth: buildings are never just structures, they are vessels for memory, resilience, and possibility,” said Aileen Fuchs, president and executive director of the National Building Museum. “This is the first time these exhibitions are being experienced side by side, and that dialogue allows visitors to see how collaboration and education helped build pathways toward opportunity and lasting change.”  

Together, the exhibitions demonstrate how place becomes meaningful when animated by human intentions and collaboration. From the rural schoolhouses that transformed educational access across the segregated South, to the rebuilt Tuskegee Chapel that embodied ambition and self-determination during the Civil Rights Movement, these projects show how communities shaped their futures through design, labor, and collective vision. In both the Rosenwald Schools and the Tuskegee Chapel, architecture is not a neutral container, but an active participant in history, shaped by the people who built it and shaping generations in turn. 

A Better Life for Their Children: Julius Rosenwald, Booker. T Washington and the 4,978 Schools that Changed America 

Beginning in 1912, philanthropist Julius Rosenwald and educator Booker T. Washington forged one of the most consequential partnerships of the 20^th century. Their collaboration led to the construction of 4,978 schools for Black children across fifteen southern and border states, laying groundwork for civic leadership, the Great Migration, and the Civil Rights Movement. Notable Rosenwald School alumni include John Lewis, Maya Angelou, Medgar Evers, and Eugene Robinson. 

The Rosenwald Schools required shared investment: local Black communities raised funds and contributed labor and land, while Rosenwald’s philanthropy provided major support and required local school boards to maintain the schools and pay teachers. This early model of public-private partnership reshaped educational opportunity across the South.  

The exhibition features 22 black-and-white photographs by Andrew Feiler, architectural drawings, newly created models by artist Mark Wittig, an introductory film, and a recreated period classroom environment.  

“The Rosenwald Schools are one of the most overlooked stories of American architecture and moral imagination,” said Andrew Feiler. “These were not just school buildings, they were acts of belief in a better future, built through partnership across divides. To see them in conversation with the Tuskegee Chapel helps paint a full picture of how education, place and collaboration together became forces of liberation.” 

The Tuskegee Chapel: Paul Rudolph x Fry & Welch 

After the original Tuskegee Chapel, designed by pioneering Black architect Robert R. Taylor, was destroyed by fire in 1957, its rebuilding became a profound act of collective effort and architectural translation. 

Modernist architect Paul Rudolph conceived a bold new design, but it was African American architects Louis Fry, Sr. and Col. John Welch who translated Rudolph’s concrete vision into brick, integrating it into Tuskegee’s historic campus and drawing on the extraordinary skill of Tuskegee’s masonry students and alumni. 

Constructed almost entirely by students using 1.2 million bricks made from Alabama clay, the original Taylor chapel embodied Tuskegee’s enduring pedagogy of “learning by doing.” It served not only as an architectural marvel, but as a site of dignity, worship, collective reflection and self-determination during the Jim Crow era. The Rudolph and Fry&Welch chapel carried these same values forward in its new Modernist form. 

Key features of the exhibition include models of both Taylor’s original 1898 chapel and Rudolph’s redesign, architectural photography by Ezra Stoller, photographs by Chester Higgins from 1969 and 2024, a robotically-laid brick sculpture by Myles Sampson, digitized architectural drawings, large scale murals, and an interview with Major L. Holland, the last living member of the Fry & Welch design team. 

“The Tuskegee Chapel is fundamentally a story of partnership,” said curator Helen Bechtel. “It is about designers and builders, educators and students, materials and vision, all coming together to create something larger than the sum of its parts. Placing this story in conversation with the Rosenwald Schools allows visitors to see how community building and collaboration have shaped the American landscape.” 

### 

About the National Building Museum  

The National Building Museum inspires curiosity about the world we design and build. We believe that understanding the impact of architecture, engineering, landscape architecture, construction, planning, and design is important for everyone. Through exhibitions, educational programs, and special events, we welcome visitors of all ages to experience stories about the built world and its power to shape our lives, our communities, and our futures. 

This historic structure houses the Museum’s permanent collections, exhibition galleries, educational classrooms, and award-winning Museum Shop. It’s also the workplace of dedicated Museum staff, who work daily to ensure every visitor feels welcome and inspired to explore. Interpreting the building itself is a key part of the Museum’s mission, and, as such, the collections reflect the building’s history, going back to the 1880s.

As D.C. history buffs might know, the former Pension Building was designed and constructed between 1882 and 1887 under the direction of U.S. Army Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs. Serving as both architect and engineer, Meigs played such a central role that he is the only individual whose personal belongings the Museum collects. The Museum also has materials highlighting the many craftsmen who worked to bring Meigs’ vision to life. Some of these talented tradespeople signed their names to scraps of paper and inserted them into walls and flooring during construction, which were uncovered during later renovations.

Other items in the Museum’s collections reflect the varied uses of the historic Pension Building since it opened in 1887, from office building to film set and more. In the early days, it was home to Con. Murphy’s, which advertised “the best 15 cent lunch in the city” and undoubtedly fed many a hungry Pension Bureau clerk. Later, George P. Costamos’ 1997 movie “Shadow Conspiracy” filmed a dramatic scene with firearms in the Great Hall, and the Museum collected three blank cartridges from the production.

The most obvious opportunities for collecting are the decorative and functional aspects of the building itself. One of the least visible components of the building is the 234 busts housed near the ceiling of the Center Court in individual niches. Eight plaster models of these sculptures are much more accessible on the second floor, where they are currently on view in Visible Vault: Open Collections Storage. In this display, visitors can see sculptor Gretta Bader’s work up close. The figures’ unique faces and clothing portray archetypes of those who help create the built environment, such as engineers, landscape architects, and more.

Another example of collecting from the Museum’s immediate surroundings is the fountain in the Center Court, which once housed live coral. The collection also includes samples from the Great Hall carpet, designed to replicate the original tile pattern of the Pension Bureau floor, windows, heating elements, elevator grates, and more. The possibilities are nearly endless!

To make a research request and learn more about the Pension Building Collection, click here. You can learn more about other collections held at the Museum by searching the online database here!

On the biggest days, the building becomes part of the spectacle. Football stadiums aren’t just backdrops, they’re active participants. Stadium architecture shapes how sound carries, how crowds move, and how excitement builds as tens of thousands of fans funnel toward the field. At the scale of football’s biggest moments, design is doing just as much work as the players on the field.

1930s and 40s football stadiums were straightforward by design: a field surrounded by wooden bleachers, built to accommodate spectators rather than shape an experience. These early structures prioritized function over comfort, with little consideration for acoustics, circulation, or long-term impact on their surroundings. As the sport grew in popularity, so did the scale of the buildings that housed it, and with that growth came new architectural changes.

Concrete replaced wood, seating bowls grew steeper, and structural systems evolved to support larger crowds and longer games. Stadiums became permanent fixtures in their cities, requiring architects and engineers to think beyond capacity alone. Sightlines, crowd movement, safety, and sound all became integral to design, transforming stadiums into complex pieces of infrastructure designed to manage tens of thousands of people at once.

Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California set a new benchmark for modern stadium design from the start. Opened in 2014, it earned LEED Gold for its construction, design, and focus on efficiency and waste reduction. The stadium’s location encourages alternative transportation, with nearby buses, light rail, trains, and a public bike path, while EV charging stations provide more eco-friendly options. Built with 95% recycled steel and wood reclaimed from a local airfield, the venue also made recycling and composting easy for fans, with bins conveniently grouped and tailgater kits to support proper disposal. Water-saving features, from low-flow fixtures to an efficient cooling system, helped divert nearly 100 million gallons of potable water in the first four years. By embedding these thoughtful strategies into design and operations, Levi’s Stadium showed how a modern sports venue can combine scale, spectacle, and responsibility.

Levi’s isn’t alone in showing how stadium design continues to evolve. Venues like Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and SoFi Stadium in Inglewood push the boundaries of state-of-the-art, innovative layouts that enhance both the fan experience and event operations. Each new stadium builds on lessons from the past, proving that with every big game, architecture itself is a star of the show.

– One of a kind, indoor synthetic ice-skating experience remains open through President’s Day Holiday – 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – February 5, 2026 – –  The National Building Museum announced today that it will extend its Winter Skate Spectacular experience through President’s Day, Monday February 16, 2026. 

Winter Skate Spectacular was originally slated to conclude on February 9, but has been extended due to popular demand.   

“We’re excited to offer visitors more time to enjoy a warm, indoor escape from the cold—especially in a setting as majestic as our soaring Great Hall,” said Aileen Fuchs, president and executive director of the National Building Museum. 

The National Building Museum is open Thursdays- Mondays from 10 am – 5 pm 

The schedule for Winter Skate Spectacular through February 16 is as follows: 

• Mondays  – reserved for skate sessions with D.C. Public Schools 

• Friday, February 6 –open from 11 am – 5 pm 

• Sunday, February 8- open from noon-5 pm 

• Saturday, February 7 – open from noon – 5 pm  

• Friday, February 13 –  open from 11 am – 5 pm and evening skating from 6-8 pm 

• Saturday, February 14 – A Valentine’s Day-themed session for the whole family from noon-5 pm  

• Sunday, February 15 – open from noon-5 pm 

• Monday, February 16 – open from noon-5 pm 

• Museum members have special designated skate sessions from 5-6 pm on Thursdays and Fridays, 10:30-11:30 am on Saturdays and Sundays 

The full skating schedule and tickets can be found HERE. Tickets range from $12-$20 depending on the experience. Visitors are welcome to bring their own skates or they can rent skates at the Museum. 

***A signed waiver is required to participate and will be available on-site. Skate sizes and availability may vary. 

IMAGES 

Winter Skate Spectacular Images and videos can be found HERE.  

In addition to skating, visitors can explore the Museum’s current exhibitions which include: 

Coming Together – a look at what the future of cities can be 

Building Stories  – inspired by beloved  children’s books 

Visible Vault – featuring artifacts from our permanent collection 

Brick City – hugely popular Lego exhibition  

After skating in the Great Hall and exploring the exhibitions, visitors can enjoy Japanese comfort dishes from Konbini by Daikaya, the Museum’s café. Warm up with hot chocolate or coffee, or try seasonal items like mikan, sweet, seedless mandarins popular in Japan, and yakiimo, roasted sweet potatoes with a golden, creamy flesh. The menu also includes mochi, chewy rice cakes served warm or frozen, nikuman, fluffy steamed buns filled with savory pork and vegetables, curry udon, thick wheat noodles in a rich, savory curry broth; and ochazuke, a comforting rice dish topped with flavorful ingredients and hot tea or broth. In the evening, enjoy beer, wine, sake, or a specialty cocktail. The Museum Shop is an excellent spot for unique gifts and design-inspired finds. 

MEDIA CONTACT 

Karen Baratz, karen@baratzpr.com, 240.497.1811 

ABOUT THE NATIONAL BUILDING MUSEUM 
The National Building Museum inspires curiosity about the world we design and build. We believe that understanding the impact of architecture, engineering, landscape architecture, construction, planning, and design is important for everyone. Through exhibitions, educational programs, and special events, we welcome visitors of all ages to experience stories about the built world and its power to shape our lives, our communities, and our futures. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448, info@nbm.org, or visit www.nbm.org. Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and X. 

# # # 

Lautman (1923-2009) came to the practice of architectural photography after serving as an Army combat photographer in World War II’s Pacific theater, where he was awarded two Bronze Stars. He also apprenticed at Wurts Brothers Photography, whose collection the Museum also holds.

In 1948, Lautman established his own studio in Washington, D.C., spending the next fifty years building a client base of the country’s most prestigious architects, landscape designers, interior designers, builders, and publications of that era. His expertly crafted images covered a wide range of commercial, residential, and institutional projects, and his work was featured in magazines like House and Garden, Architectural Digest, Smithsonian, and many more. He frequently collaborated with his son, Andrew, who became a partner in the family business.

Lautman worked repeatedly with modernist architects like Louis Kahn, Marcel Breuer, Michael Graves, Hugh Newell Jacobsen, I.M. Pei, Charles Goodman, and many others, helping to spread images of their minimalist and functional designs across the country and the world. The Museum also holds many of the magazines, brochures, books, and other publications that featured Lautman’s work at these and other sites. In recognition of these valuable partnerships, Lautman was an honorary member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and was awarded their Gold Medal for Architectural Photography in 1973.

Throughout his career, Lautman contributed enormously to the American public’s visual memory and understanding of historical structures like Mount Vernon, the Capitol Building, and Monticello. Lautman undertook an especially unique set of photographs for Ken Burns’ 1997 PBS series Thomas Jefferson, working in low, natural lighting and using an 1850s-style platinum palladium process to depict Monticello as Jefferson himself would have experienced it.

Closer to home, Lautman photographed D.C.’s abandoned Pension Building in the 1970s. The Committee for a National Museum of the Building Arts used those photos to lay out the vision for what would soon become the National Building Museum.

With one foot planted firmly in modern design and an unparalleled commitment to historic preservation, the Robert C. Lautman Photography Collection provides a remarkable record of the D.C. metropolitan area’s growth and development in the second half of the 20th century. The National Building Museum is thrilled to preserve and share these important photographs with the public as cataloging and digitization progresses over the next several years. Keep an eye out for this collection on the Museum’s online database search, and further updates about cataloging processes and findings on The Blueprint.

To conduct research using the Robert C. Lautman Photography Collection, please fill out a Research Request Form. You can learn more about other collections held at the Museum by searching our online database here.

This model from the National Building Museum’s collection dates to 1932 and represents a moment when the city’s master plans were both upheld and questioned by urban planners and civil engineers of the time. It represents the vibrant potentiality of the city’s intersecting visions, when officials had yet to come to a consensus about how to develop the city into the one we know today.  

D.C. is not defined by a single scheme, but by the intersection of several distinct master plans whose overlapping visions – both realized and unbuilt – influence the fabric and beauty of the city. The first of these proposals is the L’Enfant Plan, outlined in 1792 by artist, engineer, and Revolutionary War veteran Pierre “Peter” Charles L’Enfant. Appointed to oversee the creation of the new federal capital as power shifted from Philadelphia, L’Enfant envisioned a city built from the ground up according to rigorous geometric order and monumental scale. His basic grid of east-west alphabetic streets, north-south numbered streets, and wide diagonal avenues remains the basic scaffold of Washington, D.C. These avenues established sightlines that still orient travelers towards the White House and Capitol Building, both of which occupy sites originally selected and laid out by L’Enfant.

The nineteenth century saw L’Enfant’s vision expand to include features both familiar and foreign to contemporary Washington. The Civil War left a ring of forts around the city perimeter, while Reconstruction in the late nineteenth century saw the establishment of Rock Creek Park and a Victorian-style garden landscape along the Potomac waterfront.

It was these gardens that were targeted by D.C.’s second major plan: the McMillan Plan of 1902. This plan viewed these gardens as an obstacle to circulation rather than a hub for circulation, and sought to replace them with what would become the National Mall. Landscaped hills were eliminated in favor of grass lawns, flanked by public institutions like the Smithsonian Museums. The remaining green spaces were managed by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., who turned to his prior work in the Boston Metropolitan Park System for inspiration. His designs connected the Potomac River, Rock Creek, and Civil War forts into a continuous belt of green space, and reintegrated the Anacostia River into the city’s broader connection of public recreation.

Over the course of the twentieth century, the McMillan Plan solidified as the new standard for D.C.’s development, but its implementation has never been exact. Much has been revised, altered, or simply unbuilt, but via the oversight of the National Capital Park and Planning Commission, it remains the hand that steers D.C.’s expansion. William T. Partridge was a member of this commission, who helped disseminate new visions for what Washington’s landscape could represent in the 1930s and beyond.

Partridge’s 1932 model represents some of the Commission’s most daring proposals, including a flooded reservoir that transforms much of the existing mall into a landscape of canals and waterfront views. The model consists of 15 interlocking pieces, and was quite successful in its day, displayed at the Corcoran, Department of Interior, and other institutions nationwide. Unfortunately, it was damaged in a flood before it was donated to the Museum in 2011 and now requires the Museum’s specialist attention to conserve its unique materials and construction.

Help us preserve this history!

Click here to Adopt an Artifact and help protect this legacy.

The National Building Museum is home to the nation’s foremost archive of American architectural and design heritage. The Adopt an Artifact program allows you to directly support the proper care and preservation of objects with critical conservation needs, helping the Museum continue its mission to inspire curiosity about the world we design and build. To support this initiative, click here.   

David Macaulay, a renowned illustrator and writer, is most well-known for his nonfiction books that combine text and illustration to explain architecture, design, and engineering. A friend of the Museum, David created a digital illustration of the Museum’s Great Hall featuring D.C. landmarks. He donated to the permanent collection several hard-copy drawings that he used to create the digital illustration.

Donor: David Macaulay
Image: Sketch of the National Building Museum by David Macaulay, National Building Museum.

James Evans, former Chief of Transportation Facilities with the D.C. Department of Public Works, donated this cast-iron ionic column capital to the Museum. It was installed on the platform of D.C.’s Union Station in 1907 and was removed during part of the station’s renovation in the early 2000s. The piece was given to the Department of Public Works by Amtrak in appreciation for the financial support the District provided for Union Station’s platform improvements.

Donor: James Evans
Image: Ionic Column Capital (2025.14.1), National Building Museum.

Following a visit to the Museum in May 2025, Rose Jetter noted that the Museum’s souvenir building collection was missing representation from Montana. To fill this gap, she donated this piece to the permanent collection.

Donor: Rose Jetter
Image: Souvenir Building (2025.15.1), National Building Museum.

Hank Griffith gave the Museum four small samples of mica, which were typically used in flooring and laminate prior to the creation of plastic synthetics. These samples of mineral mica were purchased by the Griffiths from the North Carolina Mining Museum.

Donor: Hank Griffith
Image: Mica Sample (2025.17.5), National Building Museum.

This brick from Elkridge, Maryland was given to the Museum by Steven Grabowski, who found it as a child in the remains of a small factory chimney. It is an unpainted fire brick of a unique color.

Donor: Steven Grabowski
Image: Brick (2025.18.1), National Building Museum.

Athena Tacha is a multimedia visual artist who has worked on several architecture-based sculpture projects around the country. Active since the 1970s, she is a pioneer of environmental, site-specific sculpture and has won more than fifty competitions for permanent public art commissions. Athena and her partner, Richard Spear, donated materials relevant to her D.C. projects to the Museum. These materials include drawings, proposals, and some small models of Wisconsin Place in Chevy Chase, the Strathmore Hall pedestrian bridge in Rockville, and the Morgan Boulevard Metro station. They were used to prepare for installing large-scale art in and around the built environment.

Donor: Athena Tacha & Richard Spear
Image: Drawing of Fountain Installation, National Building Museum.

Amy Parmeter inherited several items from her grandfather, Jack Kananen, who worked in construction in many cities across the country. His parents immigrated to the United States from Finland and settled in Ohio, where Jack learned the bricklaying trade before moving to Chicago and working with the Gust K. Newberg Construction Company as a construction manager and foreman. Jack moved to Los Angeles when the company began to oversee construction work there. Jack was involved in constructing several major public works in Los Angeles, including the Department of Water & Power, Hall of Administration, and the Long Beach Arena. From Jack’s time in California, Amy donated a photograph album of approximately one hundred 8×10 photos detailing several construction projects.

Donor: Amy Parmeter
Image: Photograph Album, National Building Museum.

Elizabeth Lawson, a member of the Souvenir Building Society, donated a unique collection of eleven souvenir buildings made by members of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the 1930s. Additionally, she donated two souvenir buildings representing the state of Montana to assist in filling out the Museum’s souvenir building collection.

Donor: Elizabeth Lawson
Image: Souvenir Building, National Building Museum.

Priscilla Griffith donated a kiln tester to the Museum’s permanent collection. Typically, a kiln tester is created when a specific type of clay is made to particular dimensions and marked. It is then glazed and fired to test the rate of change between the wet clay and fired ceramic dimensions. This kiln tester is an excellent parallel to the Museum’s Northwestern Terra Cotta Collection, which notes such measurement differences on the drawings themselves.

Donor: Priscilla Griffith
Image: Kiln Tester, National Building Museum.

While an architecture student at Columbia University, Susan Hillberg worked at Beyer, Blender & Belle and participated in projects at Ellis Island, in Central Park, and several other notable historic buildings in New York City. During a project focused on bridges in Central Park, Susan was given two pieces of cast-iron bridge balusters that she donated to the Museum.

Donor: Susan Hillberg
Image: Section of Pine Bank Bridge, National Building Museum.

The late George Siekkinen gave three terra cotta façade pieces to the Museum prior to his death. The Museum is grateful to have taken custody of these items in 2025. One piece is from Columbus, Ohio’s Union Depot, which was demolished in the 1970s. Another is from the San Francisco Fairmont Hotel, which was removed due to potential seismic hazards and replaced with a replica. The final piece is a sample section of the stucco façade of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

Donor: George Siekkinen
Image: Floret from the San Francisco Fairmont Hotel, National Building Museum.

The Museum is extremely grateful to these generous donors for working with us to inspire curiosity about the world we design and build. To learn more about the Museum’s permanent collection, search our online database!

As the Museum’s Collections team continues to preserve the history of the Washington National Cathedral’s Construction Archives Collection, it has become commonplace to encounter prints and drawings deemed as “problems.” These “problems” can contain a plethora of conditions that jeopardize the long-term health of the historic drawings. Below, explore artifacts that illustrate these challenges and reaffirm the importance of thoughtful preservation and responsible archival stewardship.

Crayon Sketches of Miracle and Parable Windows

This artifact represents one of the most complex condition assessments undertaken for the collection. Fifteen sketches, along with eight typed labels, were glued or taped to a brittle backing board. The primary support board had been partially severed, resulting in severe structural vulnerabilities on the sketches, many of which were completely torn from the board or missing altogether. The Collections team determined that all sketches were created on trace paper and, as a result, exhibited significant staining and discoloration caused by the adhesive materials.

Given the sheer number of sketches, staff deduced that this board may have been used as a proposal or presentation piece for window mockups at the Cathedral. With this context in mind, the team determined that the most appropriate preservation approach was to remove loose tape and dried glue, then encapsulate the entire board in a non-toxic polyester film. This type of film is commonly used in conservation to support and protect brittle objects due to its stability and transparency.

Plan of the Cathedral’s Crypt

This artifact’s unstable condition is unfortunately typical of many early construction drawings of the Cathedral. Created in 1929, the drawing was mounted on a brittle sheet of vellum or parchment, materials commonly and inexpensively used by architects for drafting at the time. While practical for architectural production, these materials are not well-suited for exhibition or long-term storage. The presence of extensive tears, losses, and residual tape made it clear to staff that the drawing required additional stabilization. To safeguard its integrity, the Collections team created a custom polyester encapsulation measuring over 30 inches wide and 40 inches long, providing essential support and protection from future damage during handling and rehousing.

Accretion on a Blueprint

The condition of this blueprint of the Crossing Chapel, now known as the Chapel of St. Joseph of Arimathea, was shocking. After a thorough assessment, the team concluded that this blueprint was suffering from accretion damage. In this condition, a non-original material is attached to the surface of a paper support. While the cause of this accretion remains unknown, staff concluded that a hot, fibrous object was placed on the blueprint at some point. When this object was removed, it took with it pieces of the blueprint’s original surface. This artifact also exhibits losses along the left edge. Given the extent of the damage, the Collections Department sees this artifact as a prime candidate for outsourced conservation treatment.

To conduct research using the Washington National Cathedral Construction Archives Collection, please fill out a Research Request Form. You can learn more about other collections held at the Museum by searching the online database here! 

Some of our favorite holiday films are less about the magic of the season and more about how the built environment becomes a catalyst for that sense of wonder. From iconic skylines to quiet, snow-covered neighborhoods, the movie’s setting often amplifies the plot. In many holiday classics, the home itself becomes a main character, shaping emotions, relationships, and the way the story unfolds. 

In This Christmas (2007), family members return to their childhood home to celebrate the holidays together. Almost immediately, it’s clear that the house is doing just as much storytelling as the characters. Returning home means more than hugs at the door; it means stepping back into a place filled with memory. 

Each room, doorway, and corner reveals personality and history. The warmth of the film doesn’t come only from laughter in the hallways, but from the evidence of years lived there. Traditions linger in objects, layouts, and familiar routines, reminding us that homes quietly collect stories over time. This idea echoes a central truth about domestic spaces: a house becomes a home not all at once, but gradually through use, ritual, and memory. Everyday objects, from decorative choices to well-worn furniture, carry meaning far beyond their function. 

On the flip side, sometimes architecture tells the story through absence. In Home Alone (1990), the McCallister house looms large the moment Kevin realizes he’s alone. Hallways stretch longer. Rooms echo louder. Familiar spaces suddenly feel unfamiliar. 

The same house that once felt crowded and chaotic becomes a landscape of vulnerability. The film captures a feeling many of us recognize: a home changes when the people in it do. Home is no longer defined by who fills it, but by who is missing. 

Somewhere in between is The Holiday (2006), which suggests that home can also be something we redefine for ourselves. Two women trade homes across continents, each seeking escape. One settles into a cozy English cottage, the other into a sleek Los Angeles house. Both discover that unfamiliar spaces can offer unexpected clarity. 

The film reminds us that home isn’t always where you’re from. Sometimes, it’s where you can rest, reflect, and imagine something different. Stepping into another space can reveal what we truly need from our own. 

These ideas come to life beyond the screen as well. Exploring how everyday spaces shape memory, identity, and tradition is at the heart of House & Home, an exhibition that invites visitors to examine the objects and environments that quietly define domestic life. From ordinary household items to deeply personal artifacts, it offers a reminder that the meaning of home isn’t fixed; it’s built over time, through use, ritual, and care. 

As the holidays unfold, these films and the spaces we gather in encourage the same reflection: home isn’t just where we are, but how we live, remember, and come together.